I Faked Love, He Spoiled Me Rotten

Chapter 2

The walls in this complex were paper-thin. She could actually hear the guy next door swiping through t****k. It wasn't until the first gray light of dawn crept through the window that she finally managed to pass out.

When Louisa snapped awake, Dominic's side of the bed was already cold. The sheets were pulled up perfectly, making it look like he hadn't even been there.

There was a note left on the nightstand in a sharp, bold scribble:

Food's in the fridge, make sure you eat. I'm pulling a shift at the site tonight, so don't wait up.

Food was the absolute last thing she cared about. She dragged herself out of bed and started tearing the place apart. The closet was completely stuffed, but it was all her own things. She pulled out a pile of credit cards to check them one by one—

The first one was maxed out and past due.

The second one had a big fat zero for a limit.

Seeing that "0.00" balance staring right at her on her banking app felt like a massive slap in the face.

Other than the cards, the closet was just packed with knockoff Hermès and Chanel purses. The leather felt totally stiff and fake, and the hardware looked incredibly cheap.

Louisa dropped her head into her hands, completely overwhelmed. She was more than strapped for cash. She was literally drowning in debt.

Right as she was losing her mind, a heavy pounding rattled the front door. "Open the door! How long do you guys think you can slack off on rent?!"

It was the landlady.

Louisa forced a polite smile as she unlocked it, but the landlady just kept shouting, "An eight-hundred-buck apartment isn't a charity case! You're four months behind. If I don't get the cash by tonight, you're out on the street!"

Eight hundred bucks a month? And they were four months behind?

It was pretty obvious that every single dollar Dominic slaved away for had been blown by her on fake luxury bags and trying to look rich at upscale spots.

"Just give me a day, please? Can I just get one more day?" Louisa begged, swallowing her pride.

"Tomorrow's the hard deadline! If that cash isn't in my hands by tomorrow, I'm changing the locks!"

Watching the landlady walk away grumbling, Louisa slumped against the doorframe, completely drained.

She dashed back to her room, shoved all the decent-looking fake bags and faux jewelry into a sack, and headed straight for the secondhand market. The fakes only fetched three hundred bucks, but turns out one of the Chanel bags was actually real—she couldn't even remember who gave it to her—and the shop owner bought it for three grand.

Not wasting a single second, Louisa transferred the money to the landlady and shot her a text. Louisa: We're moving out at the end of the month.

There was no way she could afford to stay in this dumpster for another day.

Meanwhile, Dominic, who had just picked up his new uniform from the property management office, was passing by the building. He wanted to drop off his clothes before rushing to his night shift at the construction site.

His neighbor, Mr. Webster, stopped him. "Did your girlfriend stir up trouble again?"

Dominic paused. "What happened?"

"The landlady said you guys owe four months of rent."

Dominic's grip tightened around the bag in his hand.

He always transferred the money to Louisa right on time every month. He made two grand as a security guard, eighteen hundred delivering food, and another grand at the construction site. That's nearly five thousand bucks a month, and he only kept two hundred for pocket money, giving her everything else.

She told him the rent had been paid. So where did all that money go?

Back then, Louisa was the one who insisted on moving to Newville, claiming small towns had no future, and she was the one who wanted this apartment. He went along with everything because he felt he owed her. She didn't work and spent her days getting all dolled up to go out, but he never pried—it's normal for girls to like dressing up and having fun, he figured. He just had to work a bit harder.

That evening, Dominic sat alone in the pitch-black room.

The door opened, and Louisa walked in carrying a takeout container, humming a tune as she flipped the light switch.

The lights flickered on, and their eyes met.

The smile on her face froze instantly. "You... you're back already?"

Dominic didn't answer. He just stared at her. She wasn't wearing any makeup today, no tight dress, just a bare face and an oversized jacket—she looked completely different from the girl who usually left the house all dolled up.

"Where were you?"

"Nowhere special. Just grabbing food." She held up the takeout container.

"What about other days?" his voice was flat. "What do you actually do every day when you go out?"

She was screwed. She usually spent her time hitting up flashy clubs trying to bag a rich heir. How on earth was she supposed to admit that?

"Looking... looking for a job." The moment those words left her mouth, she regretted it. It was a terrible excuse.

Sure enough, a faint smirk flickered on Dominic's face, looking pretty mocking. Who goes to job interviews wearing heavy makeup and comes back with club perfume every single time?

"It's been five months since we moved to Newville, and you still haven't found anything?"

His voice was dead calm. He had already figured it out—he knew she was just slacking off and wasting time. Louisa couldn't even tell if Dominic suspected she was out looking for a sugar daddy.

She could feel the anger simmering right under his calm face, but all he said was, "I'm not trying to force you to work."

Louisa froze.

"If you don't want to work, that's fine," Dominic went on. "But the neighbor told me you haven't paid rent in four months. I give you at least four grand every month. Where did all that money go?"

It wasn't the money that scared her. She was terrified he'd connect the dots and find out she was trying to climb the social ladder behind his back.

Driven by pure panic, she recalled her horrific death from her past life, triggering her survival instinct.

"I'm sorry... Dominic... I only realized how expensive everything was after we moved to Newville... I tried looking for a job, but they were either too exhausting or paid too little... So... that's why I thought about trying those kinds of places. I heard the pay is really good..."

The anger on Dominic's face froze. Given how Louisa always dolled herself up when she went out, he was a grown man. He knew exactly what she meant by "those kinds of places".

Tears started streaming down Louisa's face as she spoke, rolling down her bare cheeks. She looked completely pitiful.

Dominic's Adam's apple bobbed. He had always known what kind of person she was. He had imagined a million scenarios, but he never expected her to actually tell him the truth.

Suddenly, the landlady called him. "Why did you transfer the rent to me too? Your girlfriend already paid for it this afternoon. What is wrong with you two? One minute you're four months behind, the next you're paying double!"

Dominic hung up and looked up at her.

His gaze shifted to a hollowed-out organizer in the wardrobe. It used to be stuffed with jewelry and cosmetics. Now, it was completely empty.

His throat tightened. He knew how much Louisa treasured those things. She used to spend ages messing around in front of the mirror before going out, picking necklaces to match her earrings, putting on lipstick, and doing her brows, dying to look like a mannequin in a*****e display.

But now, she had sold them all.

Dominic walked over to her and wiped away her tears. "I was just worried you'd get scammed out there. Why are you crying? It's not like I'm yelling at you."

She pulled the food out of the bag. "I actually bought this for your late-night snack." It was two boxes of pasta, still steaming hot.

Dominic stared at the pasta. Louisa had never cared whether he ate or not before.

He grabbed his fork and took a bite. Right in the middle of eating, he suddenly asked, "So, how much did you get for them?"

"3,300."

"If you ever want to get them back later—" He stopped himself. After paying rent, he only had a few grand to his name. There was just no way he could buy jewelry for her.

But Louisa chimed in, "I'm good. I'm not buying them back. Honestly, just living in Newville costs way too much."

"I'm moving up to security captain next month, so that's an extra 300 bucks," Dominic said. "It should help cover your stuff." He quickly finished his food and stood up. "Alright, I'm off to work."

The door clicked shut.

Louisa let out a massive sigh of relief and slumped back into her chair. If she ever got caught in her own lies, she'd be completely screwed. But she didn't have a choice. You start with one lie, and you're stuck telling another just to cover it up.

She took a shower but then tossed and turned in bed, completely unable to sleep.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath.

Wait another six months. As soon as she got the cash, she'd head straight back to her small town.

A massive city like Newville was never a place for someone like her to dream big anyway.